In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
nursing
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/14/2008 - 15:48In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=The Smiths in Puglia;87608]Hello Fificlaire - I haven`t tried to work here as a nurse (although I am also a registered nurse) but I do know some local nurses and have had many discussions on the differences between working in Italy v the UK . As I see it, it would be very difficult to work as a foreign nurse here - nursing is seen as a job for life and people don`t tend to move around much here from job to job, like they do (or used to do, until the present job crisis, in Britain). Nursing jobs tend to be coveted and many people have to move to other areas to take up nursing posts. I would think it would be particularly difficult to take up a nursing job without really fluent Italian (IMO you`re talking many years to get to that level) - I imagine that in mental health nursing the need to recognise verbal subtleties and to express yourself really clearly and carefully is especially
important.
The one area that I`ve noticed some nurses working in in Puglia, is doing domicilliary visits - district nursing doesn`t seem to exist here as a state-funded service, so I imagine it might be possible to work privately doing dressings etc. I know one nurse who works privately taking bloods etc. in the comfort of the patient`s home. Sorry to be so negative, but I think it`s going to be difficult.
Hazel[/quote]
I'VE NO IDEA,whats going on in Puglia but 400kms further up in the Marche they're importing nurses from Brazil,Equador,Poland,EX-east Germany and now Spain and Portugal-I'm not saying it's well paid nor easy but if you have valid nursing qualifications and you want to be a nurse you can get a job tomorrow in Italy.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
agree with sebastiano
all major population centres are crying out for nursing staff .. from wherever...
pay is lousey... and conditions in some of the city hospitals you will find no better than the UK....
mental health nusrsing here had often in the past been set aside to many of the religous type institutes...if that is changing much i dont know... they are or have been dumping people out on the streets as regards long term conditions...much as in the UK... and there are plenty in rural locations that are just kept hidden at home... it was sort of considered a slur on your family or a curse from on high to be afflicted by one of these problems...
factually am not really being much help however to get you on your way if you click on this link belwo it way take you to a list on google in italian
[url=http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&hl=it&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GFRC_itIT206IT207&q=Infermieristica+in+Italia+Lavoro]Infermieristica in Italia Lavoro - Cerca con Google[/url]
i entered the search term nursing jobs italy in Italian and thats what came back
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[url=http://www.ministerosalute.it/professioniSanitarie/paginaInterna.jsp?id=92&menu=strumentieservizi]Ministero della Salute - Professioni sanitarie[/url]
This is the link to the relevant section of the Ministero della Salute web site re gaining recognition of foreign medical/nursing qualifications.
From my personal experience of working in a state Italian hopsital I agree totally with Hazel, but I'm afraid I have to disagree with Sebastiano. It is not easy to get a job in the health service as an overseas trained nurse or any other professional for that matter. It is a long drawn out process and requires a lot of patience and mountains of paperwork just to obtain recognition of your qualifications.You would have to have fluent Italian and expect the process to take a minimum of one year. You are then faced with waiting for a job to come up and then a points based 'Concorso' (written, oral and practical exam) - there are no best fit type interviews.
Yes, Sebastiano is right in that, as in the NHS, there are mass recruitment strategies for foreigners but from my experience these are agency based and aimed at taking trained staff from poorer countries - paperwork/recognition etc done on mass by the agency - for an individual the system is not so easy.
My impression of the Italian nursing career structure is that one does not exist! They do not have professional autonomy, only performing nursing duties as directed by the Drs. and it is seen as a job for life so many have only worked in one ward since qualifying.
It may be easier to get a job in the private sector but you would still have to be fluent and have your qualifications recognised in the same way. Have a look at the ASUR/ASL website for the part of Italy where you would like to work - this will give you some idea as to the services offered and it is where all jobs are advertised (under 'Concorsi') - one final point -0 unless you are prepared to do masses of overtime, th pay is extremely low - most earning a max of E1000 a month.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I must admit when I saw your post in 'the other place' I also thought about the linguistic implications of being a mental health nurse (as opposed to 'turn over, dear'..).
The last posters point about lack of autonomy seems to chime in with what I know from a physio (Italian) who worked in the NHS in London for 6/7 years and made exactly this point, although I think her own competence, UK experience of being independent and a well-placed father has probably helped her get more than normal freedom.
Have you thought about teaching English with a medical speciality? I did some lessons for the father above, and you've just reminded me I ought to renew my notice on the staff bulletin board at the hospital!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Yes, I'm afriad I have to agree...nurses here do not earn as much as in the UK, and on an International Nurses Forum (will try and find the address!), I spoke to one nurse from the UK who was bilingual, and it had still taken her 2 years to actually be legally able to nurse here, and another 8 months before she got a job, aside from the money, tranlations of documents, character references, exams...
I decided it was hardly worth the hassle, so now I periodically fly back to the UK to work as a nurse specialist there. Whilst I am here, I do a little proof-reading and teaching medical English to doctors and psychologists, as one of my degrees in in psychology, but for a career in nursing out here, I would think very carefully.
Hello Fificlaire - I haven`t tried to work here as a nurse (although I am also a registered nurse) but I do know some local nurses and have had many discussions on the differences between working in Italy v the UK . As I see it, it would be very difficult to work as a foreign nurse here - nursing is seen as a job for life and people don`t tend to move around much here from job to job, like they do (or used to do, until the present job crisis, in Britain). Nursing jobs tend to be coveted and many people have to move to other areas to take up nursing posts. I would think it would be particularly difficult to take up a nursing job without really fluent Italian (IMO you`re talking many years to get to that level) - I imagine that in mental health nursing the need to recognise verbal subtleties and to express yourself really clearly and carefully is especially important.
The one area that I`ve noticed some nurses working in in Puglia, is doing domicilliary visits - district nursing doesn`t seem to exist here as a state-funded service, so I imagine it might be possible to work privately doing dressings etc. I know one nurse who works privately taking bloods etc. in the comfort of the patient`s home. Sorry to be so negative, but I think it`s going to be difficult.
Hazel